


Somniloquy

by a_popcorn_kernel



Series: poppy's playlist [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrienette-Centric, Crack, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, No Beta, Post-Episode: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon, Reveal, Romance, Salt-Free, Songfic, idiots to lovers, sleepover shenanigans, with a dash of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_popcorn_kernel/pseuds/a_popcorn_kernel
Summary: sɒmˈnɪləkwɪ(not to be confused with soliloquy)(n.) plural -quies1 the act of talking in one's sleep-----Post-Chameleon. Sleepover shenanigans with Alya as host (hooray!)Alternatively, Marinette outs her identity in the most anticlimactic way possible.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Series: poppy's playlist [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686544
Comments: 38
Kudos: 126
Collections: March 2020 - Music





	1. dawning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shattered_Heartless](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shattered_Heartless/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette reacts to the seating arrangement, Alya plans, and Adrien realizes something important.

Sunlight streamed in from the windows as Miss Bustier entered the classroom, smiling as she brushed back some tendrils of hair into her immaculate bun.

"Good afternoon, everyone."

"Good afternoon, Ms. Bustier," the class chorused in reply, sitting down with the altered seat plan in mind. 

Speaking of altered seat plans, Marinette felt some vindictive pleasure that Lila was all alone in the front row, while everyone else was seated with their friend or significant other. 

_ Serves her right, for lying about being Ladybug's best friend. Hmph. _

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Adrien's beautiful voice.

"Good for you for taking the high road, Marinette," Adrien said quietly, smiling at his deskmate and hoping Ms. Bustier wouldn't hear them. "Hey, it's pretty cool back here." 

She giggled in reply, too starstruck to do anything else. She hoped this nervousness would go away soon...or else she would never be able to hold a normal conversation with Adrien! And of course, she needed to be able to talk to Adrien properly, or else how would they ever get married and have three kids and a hamster?

Realizing she had spaced out a little, her cheeks pinked. Maybe he didn't notice anything? It would be really embarrassing if he could hear her thoughts though. Sticking her hand into her purse, she petted the kwami inside, seeking comfort in that gesture. Tikki nuzzled against her palm. It was a tried-and-tested method that often calmed her. 

As the class settled down, Ms Bustier started doing roll call, taking out a list of names. 

"Lila?" 

"Here," the brunette bit out, rolling her eyes. She was irritated that Marinette had somehow managed to steal Adrien from her grasp.  _ Ugh. And I was so close, too. That sneaky little witch! _

"Adrien?" 

"Present," he said, his voice carrying, even from the back of the room. 

Marinette swooned internally at the sound of his voice.  _ Wait, now's not the time. I've got to concentrate on answering Ms. Bustier properly! I can't be tongue-tied just because I sit next to my crush! _

"Max?" 

"Present."

_ Stay focused now, Marinette _ , she thought frantically, unaware that Adrien was making Soft Eyes™ at her cute expression. _ Stay. Focused! _

"—nette?"

"Present!" she almost shouted, panicking at her close call. 

Giggling nervously with relief, she shot Adrien a tiny smile. He smiled back, sparkling emerald eyes clashing with her own. She almost fainted from the amount of pure happiness directed towards her. She averted her bluebell eyes for a moment, then, blushing, dared to take a peek back at his face. 

He was still smiling at her. 

Marinette let out an almost inaudible squeak, practically turning into a tomato. 

Tikki sighed softly, exasperated, as she watched her wielder awkwardly try to interact with her deskmate.  _ At least she wasn't worrying about Lie-la anymore... _

She and Adrien didn't get to talk that much, between her shyness and Ms. Bustier's watchful gaze. That didn’t stop them from sneaking glances at each other, though. Every time they accidentally turned to each other at the same time, Marinette would let out a very tiny squeak and Adrien’s eyes would crinkle up as he smiled. Any words exchanged were stuttered out hesitantly or whispered excitedly, the romantic tension clearly visible to anyone but themselves. To protect themselves from a scolding from the teacher, they ultimately decided to just enjoy each other’s presence in giddy silence. 

They didn’t know it, but they both had the same kind of thoughts running through their minds that day.

_ Ahhhh! Adrien is so cute!  _

_ I didn’t think Marinette could be cuter up close! _

_ His dimples are absolutely adorable~ _

_ Awww she has freckles! _

And so on and so forth. It was almost sickening to see the adoring looks they tossed at each other. Among the pair, one was head-over-heels in love, and the other was one who had yet to realize his true feelings for the first friend he had made by himself. If any of Ms. Bustier’s students were to glance back—and some, namely Alya, Lila, and Nino, did—they would've seen two lovebirds sweet enough to make teeth rot. What was worse was that they didn’t seem to be getting together any time soon, at the rate they were going. It was bad enough that Alya decided to start planning an interference to ensure they started dating soon—for the sake of everyone’s sanity. She was  _ sick  _ of watching them dance around each other.

Carefully, she made to write a note, as Lila fumed silently in the seat in front of them.

* * *

Nino was scribbling down notes for history when Alya slid a piece of paper by his elbow. 

Ignoring it, he continued to take notes. History was one of his weaknesses. He needed to get all the help he could to pass the exam next week, or else... 

Well. His mom had made sure he fully understood the consequences should he fail another exam. 

He was still wincing at the remembered pain when suddenly, it was made real as someone flicked his arm. 

"Oww!" he hissed at Alya. She was the only one who could've—and would've—done it. "What's your problem, dude?"

Eyes narrowing, she stared pointedly at the note, then at him. There was a silent threat of more pain if he continued to ignore her. 

Tossing a cautious look at Ms. Bustier, he made sure she wasn't looking, and hoped he wouldn't miss out too much on the lecture. Hmmm, maybe he could ask Adrien for some notes later? He really couldn't afford to fail. 

Another flick. 

_ "Owww!" _ he protested quietly, glaring at his harasser. "Okay, I'll read it! I'll read it! Sheesh!" 

Grumbling under his breath, he snatched the note from its spot on the desk and shot another glance at their teacher. Ms. Bustier had turned around to write something on the board, so he quickly took the opportunity and scanned the paper rapidly.

Four words had been hastily scribbled in black ink, in stark contrast to the snow-white paper it had been written on. 

_ "Operation Adrienette. You in?" _

Nino sighed.  _ Of course _ she couldn't wait until dismissal to talk about it.  _ Of course _ she had to discuss it now, during an important lecture, no less. 

_ His girlfriend was a madwoman...  _

Shaking his head and cracking a tiny smile, he wrote an affirmative. 

_...but it was her firecracker spirit that had drawn him to her in the first place, anyways. _

The rest of the lecture passed by quickly as they finally agreed to arrange a sleepover over scribbled notes and whispered words.

* * *

Immediately after Ms. Bustier dismissed them, Marinette ran to Alya, bursting with excitement. Nino, who was at Alya's side, stepped away to give them some privacy.

"ALYAAAAA! I. GET. TO. SIT. WITH. ADRIEN!!!" she whisper-screamed, aware of said person's presence a few feet away. 

Alya chuckled, grabbing her bag as she stood up. "I know, girl! Who knows, maybe this is finally your chance to get closer with him and make him like you!" 

Marinette grinned, placing her arm in Alya's as they started walking out of the classroom. "It was kinda nerve-wracking, though. I mean, there's a literal model sitting next to me! And what's worse is that I'm totally, completely, crushing on him! Oh no, what if I accidentally confess in front of him and he finds out I like him and then he'll turn me down for Kagami and they'll get married and I'll have to see their pictures every-"

Alya cut off her troubled friend's rambling. "Girl, don't worry! You'll do just fine. And if he can't see how kind and pretty you are, well, it's his loss," she said, booping Marinette on the nose. 

Still worried, Marinette nodded back at Alya. "Okay then..." she said in an unconvincing tone, even as she slid deeper into a whirlpool of insecure thoughts. Kagami and Adrien really looked perfect together, though. And Kagami was way better than her. There was no way Adrien would pick  _ Marinette _ over  _ Kagami _ . And... 

Recognizing the look on her best friend's face, Alya decided she would try to make Marinette forget about this whole Adrigami issue. 

(If you asked her, though, Adrienette was  _ clearly _ superior. And Alya was pretty sure that somewhere deep within, Adrien knew that.) 

"You know what, girl?" she said thoughtfully, putting a stop to Marinette's spiralling. "Let's do something to take your mind off of this Adrigami nonsense." 

_ Because that's what it is.  _ **_Nonsense_ ** , she added in her mind.  _ You should see how he looks at you... _

She continued, suggesting ideas as they strolled out of the school doors. "A walk in the park? Ice cream? What do you wanna do, girl?" 

Marinette brightened. "Ultimate Mecha?" 

Alya's lips curved. "You're on."

* * *

  


"Goodbye, class." 

"Goodbye, Ms. Bustier," the class chanted. They all collected their possessions and started exiting the classroom with their own friends. 

"Hey, Nino," said Adrien as he slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. He noticed Alya and Marinette leaving from the corner of his eye, and felt slightly (weirdly!) disappointed that he wasn't able to talk with Marinette a bit more. 

It's probably just because he wasn't that close to his  _ purr- _ incess, even though she was his first friend.

(Sure, Adrien.) 

"'Sup, dude. How's it like at the back with Marinette?" Nino said teasingly, the two of them walking out of the classroom. 

The tease was lost on Adrien. The blonde smiled obliviously. "Not bad, Nino. I think she's finally loosening up around me! How was it with Alya?" 

Nino considered facepalming, then decided against it. Sometimes his best bro was really the walking definition of “dumb blonde”.  _ Eh. I can always question him sometime else. _

Nino waved his hand flippantly as he answered. "Oh, y'know, she chatted my ear off about Ladybug and the Ladyblog. The norm." 

He left out the part where they had passed notes back and forth, planning for Operation Adrienette. Glancing away for a second, he noticed that they had already reached the school doors. They paused at the top of the stairs. 

This was it.  _ Play it cool, dude, play it cool.  _ "Bro, do you think you'll be free sometime soon? We haven't hung out in a while, just the four of us." 

"Sounds cool! I'll definitely ask Father about it. What do you have in mind?" Adrien said excitedly. Home-schooled from childhood, he hadn't been allowed to go out and have play dates with other kids his age—except Chloe—so he had been making the most of his time with Nino, Alya, Marinette, and the rest of his class, trying to make up for his lost childhood. Their classmates were all too happy to assist.

"Hmm...you've never been on a sleepover, have you?" Nino asked, fiddling with his hat nervously. He hoped Adrien didn't notice that he was trying to sound nonchalant. 

Adrien lit up. "Ooh! Yeah, I've never been to one. Great idea, bro!"

A car honked its horn. It was the Gorilla, impatiently waiting for Adrien to get into the vehicle.

"Well, looks like I have to go," Adrien said, still bubbling with anticipation. "Bye!" 

"Bye, dude," Nino said, waving his hand in farewell. 

As the car peeled away from the sidewalk to go to wherever Adrien had to be, Nino put on his headphones, bobbing his head to the beat of his favorite song as he walked home.

_ Operation Adrienette was off to a great start. _

He frowned. Adrien's constrictive lifestyle made it hard for him to hang out with them, though.

_ If only a certain model didn't have a strict father and a packed schedule. I hope his crappy dad lets him hang with us this time. _

* * *

Adrien raced out of the car, coming to a stop in front of Nathalie, who stood at the top of the steps leading up to the Agreste Mansion. The red streak in her hair stood out against her black outfit, and she looked as stiff and imposing as always. 

(Father was still more imposing, but with a little more experience, Nathalie could probably give him a run for his money.)

Before she could say a word, Adrien blurted out the question that had consumed his thoughts the entire car ride. 

"Nathalie, can I go to a sleepover with my friends? Pleaseeeee? I’ll make up for it, if need be!” he exclaimed, using his puppy eyes for extra effect. 

Nathalie processed his request, slightly shocked by Adrien’s upfront-ness. But then again, ever since Adrien had started attending public school, he had started being more vocal about his wishes. She shouldn’t be surprised by now...yet she still found it a little hard to get used to this new Adrien who wouldn't be as timid and shy.

The secretary thought it over as Adrien waited like an eager puppy at her feet.  _ Sir Agreste might not approve...and his schedule is already packed as it is without this sleepover he suggested. _

She glanced at Adrien and felt some pity. The boy practically had no childhood experiences at all.

She sighed, making up her mind. Her conscience couldn't take anymore of that innocent, pleading gaze. 

_ I’ll have to go behind Sir Agreste's back since he won’t approve for sure, but Adrien deserves some time with his friends. _

Nathalie spoke, breaking the suspense. "I will do my best to ensure you remain free next Friday night and the Saturday after that."

The moment Adrien heard the words leave her lips, he almost screamed with happiness. He settled for hugging the life out of Nathalie instead. "Thank you so much, Nathalie! I promise to make sure my grades won't drop or anything!"

Nathalie grunted in response, glasses knocked askew and clothes wrinkled by his sudden jump-hug. As she was wrapped in his embrace, she felt a sudden jolt of affection for the kid. She smiled over his shoulder, sapphire eyes crinkling up in a rare display of happiness.

Adrien pulled back, still beaming. "Bye, Nathalie! And thanks again!"

Giddy with excitement, he ran and ran and ran, into the house, up the stairs, and down the hallway, in a manner that his father would probably scold him for if he were there. 

But he wasn't. As always.

Honestly, he wouldn't mind his father scolding him a bit more if it meant that he would be with him more often. It had been  _ forever _ since they had even eaten a meal together.

Adrien sighed internally as he reached his room's door and skidded to a stop, not winded by his sprint at all, thanks to his time as Chat Noir running around the rooftops.  _ Where did all these depressing thoughts come from?  _

He mentally banished them into his subconscious, not wanting to deal with it at the moment. Right now, he wanted to focus on the fact that Nathalie! Of all people! Had agreed to let him go to a sleepover!!!  _ With or without his father's knowledge or permission!!!!! _

He grinned, his good mood returning as he twisted the doorknob, pushing the door open, and waltzed into the room with childlike excitement. Dropping his bag on the floor, he flopped straight into his chair and put his feet up on the table, face morphing into an expression of contentment. Plagg flew out, finally free now that he was out of sight. 

"Sooooo, I saw you staring all lovey-dovey at Pigtails the whole day. And I thought you said she was 'just a friend'?" Plagg said in a teasing manner, putting emphasis on the last three words. He loop-de-looped as he lazily made his way to  _ his  _ "just a friend"—camembert.

Adrien spluttered, his feet crashing back down to the floor as he sat up straight and started denying. 

"'Lovey-dovey'?! No way! I'm in love with Ladybug, not Marinette! Marinette's kind, beautiful, and smart, but she's just a fr-"

He was cut off by Plagg zipping in front of his face, invading his personal space. 

"Stop right there! I am  _ sick  _ of hearing those words!" he complained loudly, waving his smelly cheese around. Adrien wrinkled his nose at the scent. "Since you can't seem to take a hint, I'll tell it to you straight up. You. Like. Marinette." He emphasized his point by staring pointedly at the model. 

"What?! No! Marinette's sweet and funny and cute, but I don't like her! I don't even act that way around her! It's not as if I always act like her Prince Charming or flirt with her or constantly pay attention to her in class and anyways,”—without him knowing, his voice started to take on a more dreamy tone, betraying what he really thought of his princess—“it's not my fault that she’s so awesome, like she’s literally our Everyday Ladybug—" Adrien faltered, words stumbling over each other as he heard his own tongue contradict him.

Plagg smirked as he watched his chosen run through his mind the numerous times he had done the exact same thing, in and out of being Chat Noir. Adrien's cheeks flushed.

"W-wait, does this mean I-I like Marinette?" he said hesitantly, unsure of the revelation.

Plagg dived back into his stockpile of camembert. "THANK KWAMI!" he whooped, stuffing his mouth with his favorite food.

Adrien flushed. "Plagg!" he scolded tiredly. "Ugh, whatever. How can I like Marinette and Ladybug at the same time, though? I feel like I'm cheating on my Lady..."

Plagg popped up from the mound, chewing. "How can you even cheat on someone you've never been with?! Go for Pigtails instead!"

"And get this stupid love square over with," the kwami mumbled in between bites.

Adrien thought it over, weighing his options. 

  1. Continue to try and woo Ladybug, to probably no avail, or,
  2. Win the heart of his newfound crush, Marinette, and ask her out sometime soon.



Adrien thought some more, slumping down in his seat as he did.  _ Ladybug did seem really hung up on her mystery guy... and Marinette hasn't been going out with anyone...and Marinette's always been so nice to me...plus, we're now seatmates so that's an advantage…but... _

"Come  _ on _ , kid, make up your mind! Do you want a masked lady you barely know or your new deskmate who you've been friends with for your entire public school life?" Plagg almost-yelled, frustrated as he was at the boy's indecision.

The scary thing was, Plagg actually made sense.

_ He's right…Ladybug will never fall for me. _

The blonde pouted.

Then he suddenly grinned. 

_ It's okay! Maybe Marinette will! Marinette's amazing! I'm gonna do what Plagg says, and switch targets! _

Adrien sprang up from the chair, sure in his resolution. "From now on, I will pursue Marinette instead of Ladybug!" he announced proudly, puffing up his chest and determined to remember this oh-so-important day.

Plagg made no comment, choosing to munch on his snack in satisfied silence. He hoped Tikki didn't have to deal with this much emotional whiplash and unnecessary drama.

* * *

_ Now, back to our awkward lead... _

The bakery was already closing by the time Marinette bade her friend goodbye. "Bye, Alya! See you tomorrow!" 

"Bye, girl! And remember what we talked about—the key is confidence. Okay? Confidence!" reminded Alya, stepping over the threshold and pumping her fist in the air. "You can do it! Knock him out with your amazing confession skills!"

Marinette giggled nervously. "Yes, yes, I know, Alya! You even made me write it all down in my sketchbook, of all places!"

"That's 'cause your sketchbook is the one thing you carry with you all the time! Your holy grail! This way, I know for sure that you won't lose my precious advice!" Alya said, laughing.

Marinette giggled again. "Okay, okay! You've been standing there for a while now. Go home, Alya!"

"Yeah, yeah. Bye, girl! See you tomorrow!" Alya said in reply, grinning as she left.

The door closed behind the brunette as Marinette shot an affectionate smile at her best friend's retreating figure. She climbed back up to her room, ready to relax.

Alya may be rather pushy when it came to her and Adrien, but Marinette knew her friend only wanted her to be happy. She was glad that Alya, fiery and fiesty as she was, had found a guy like Nino who grounded her and mellowed her out. Her friends were truly lucky in love. 

She sighed.

If only she was too.

Tikki had gone out to her balcony to frolic in the mini-garden while she and Alya had chatted up a storm, but now that Alya was gone, she could talk freely to the tiny being. The moment Marinette emerged from the trapdoor, the kwami immediately zipped inside to meet Marinette. And judging from Tikki's expression, Marinette could tell that she was up for  _ another _ teasing session about Adrien.

The memory of Alya's teasing came to her mind unbidden.

_ It had been a peaceful afternoon. The sun glowed warmly, shedding its light-giving rays on the Earth. Dogs barked and birds chirped. Locals and tourists alike mingled together, walking and talking in the sunny streets. _

_ Somewhere in Paris, a girl screamed in frustration. _

_ "WHA—HOW?! I SWEAR, GIRL, YOU'VE GOTTA BE CHEATING!" _

_ She had smirked, preening with satisfaction at her fifth victory in a row.  _

_ "Sorry, Alya, but I guess I'm just too good at Ultimate Mecha Strike, hmm?" she had giggled. _

_ Alya had cracked a smile. "You better make up for this with a loooooot of pastries." _

_ She had stood up to curtsey dramatically, spreading her arms out with a flourish. "Of course, your highness!" she had said laughingly.  _

_ Alya had grinned. Her face suddenly lit up as she recalled the day's earlier events, treats forgotten in the wake of a more important matter. "By the way, girl, don't think I forgot. You sat next to Adrien today and I want all the deets! Full disclosure, Marinette! _

_ The girl in question had blushed furiously. "N-nothing happened, Alya! Really!" _

_ Alya had smirked, going into full-on journalistic mode. "Uh huh. I'll believe you the day Chat Noir randomly destroys the sun with his Cataclysm, aka never." _

_ Marinette had started wondering about the logistics of Chat's powers. Maybe he actually could! Hmm...he'd have to be in space for this to work, though... _

_ She had been brought out of her reverie by Alya. _

_ "...nette? Hellooo? Are you paying attention?"  _

_ She had jumped in her seat a little. "Oh, sorry, Alya!" she had said, giggling sheepishly. _

_ Alya had sighed a little. Her best friend had a tendency to get lost in her own mind, sometimes. _

_ "Anyways!" Alya had said. "Back to the interrogation. How's the view from the back? What did you and Adrien talk about? Do you think you guys got closer? And lastly..."  _

_ She had smirked devilishly. _

_ "When's the wedding?" _

_ The moment her words had registered, Marinette had screamed and blushed at the same time. "ALYAAAAA!" _

_ "What?" Her face was the very picture of innocence. _

_ Marinette had grumbled in mock-annoyance. _

_ Alya had snickered. "C'mon, girl, I have best friend rights. You know what they always say in English movies. 'Sister before misters'!"  _

_ She had sighed defeatedly. "I can't do anything to stop you anyways," she said, shaking her head in amusement. _

_ Alya's lips curled up. "You got me right, girl. Now, I saw you and Adrien trading sweet looks. What’s up with that? Something you’re not telling me?" _

_ “ALYA!” _

_ The brunette had snickered. _

_ From then on, the rest of the afternoon had been filled with giggles and squealing over history and science textbooks. _

Marinette smiled fondly at the memory, steeling herself for a second barrage of questions, this time from Tikki.  _ Wait, hold up... _

Marinette's eyes widened. Tikki said something excitedly, but it fell on deaf ears, as Marinette was too caught up in a world-shattering revelation as she recalled a very important piece of information. 

Didn't Alya mention a sleepover?

And, if she wasn't mistaken... 

...a sleepover with  **_Adrien_ ** ?!

  
"Tikki! I'll answer your questions in a second!" she cried out frantically, cutting off whatever the kwami had been saying. "But I just remembered that Alya said the four of us,  _ including  _ **_Adrien_ ** , are going to have a sleepover soon!"


	2. dreamscape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette freaks out, Adrien has a crazy dream, and they have more staring-at-each-other sessions.

Tikki looked on worriedly as her wielder climbed up to the loft, face-planted onto her bed and screamed into her pillow.

“Marinette, are you okay?” she chirped out sweetly, distress twisting her features.

Marinette flipped herself over as she squished the pillow over her face, her tone defeated and her voice muffled. “No, Tikki, I’m not okay... I’m going to self-destruct out of embarrassment if Alya really follows through with this!” She groaned as she tugged at her pigtails anxiously, ruining her hairdo.

“Think on the bright side! You'll be able to have a fun night of bonding with not only Adrien, but also Nino and Alya!” Tikki said, trying to cheer Marinette up. The creation goddess offered her wielder a cookie. “Don’t worry, Marinette. It’ll all be fine, you’ll see! Here. Here, have a cookie.” 

Marinette gratefully accepted the confection, calming down a little. She munched as she sank into her chair and sighed, twirling a stray lock of hair pensively. After she finished swallowing the last few crumbs of the cookie, she mustered up a smile. "You're right, Tikki. I can do this!"

Tikki went to sit on her shoulder. "Mhm! Now go and tackle that huge pile of homework!"

She petted the kwami affectionately. "What would I  _ ever _ do without you, Tikki?" she said fondly, before immersing herself in her assignments.

The night flew by as she buried herself in her studies. By the time she finally flipped her books shut and called it a night, the clock had already struck eleven. Yawning, she stretched all the way up then relaxed. After changing into her pajamas, she climbed up to her loft, and whispered a soft "good night" to the scarlet kwami that already lay sleeping.

* * *

Adrien ran up the steps leading into the school and waited for Marinette in his classroom. 

Huh, that was weird. Chloé was cosplaying as Ladybug, and no one had stopped her. And why was there an elephant in the room?

He dismissed those thoughts. The only thing that mattered was Marinette. His princess. He kept his eyes trained on the door, waiting and waiting for her to come in. 

After what seemed like an hour, the door finally opened to reveal… Hawkmoth? Oh. Right. He was their homeroom teacher. How could he forget? Hawky—as some of his students called him—rapped his cane against the ground, grabbing their attention. 

"Good morning, class."

They all stood up. "Good morning, Hawky-chan," they greeted, bowing.

"Hawky-chan" gestured for them to sit down. His cane suddenly turned into chalk, and he started writing down the lesson for the day. The butterfly wielder's handwriting looked very similar to Ms. Bustier's...

Hold up, where was Marinette? 

Adrien's head whipped back and forth as he tried to find her from his vantage point at the back. There was a stone monster… nope, not Mari… a boy in a bubble suit… nope… a wheel of cheese? He wrinkled his nose. Why, for kwami's sake, was a wheel of supremely stinky cheese taking up the space where Lila usually sat?

_ BANG! _

The door burst open abruptly, revealing Ladybug, who was oozing righteous fury. 

"Hawky-chan, I've come to bargain. Give me your miraculous."

Somewhere in the back of his head, he questioned the logic of his Lady's words. Why would she ask for a bargain then demand something with nothing to give in return?

"Ladydoor! How dare you interrupt me while I'm teaching! Begone, thot!" Hawky-chan huffed in annoyance. 

The wheel of cheese sniffled. "Ladydoor! Help me, please! I've been turned into an insignificant dairy product!"

"Ladydoor" ignored the two of them. "Lucky Char!" she called out. Suddenly, a ring of flame erupted around Hawky-chan. 

He roared in rage. "Ladydoor! What nonsense is this!"

"Shut up, Karen," his Lady (his door???) retorted. She sauntered towards the ring of fire, arms outstretched, ready to remove his violet brooch. (Adrien had forgotten why she wanted the jewelry. Was she some madwoman who was obsessed with it?)

She paused. "Wait. Adrien. My uwu," the scarlet lady called, "I want you to have the honor of unveiling Hawky-chan's true identity."

Adrien swallowed, feeling a sense of duty and honor in those words.

"Yes, Ladybug."

"Ladydoor," she corrected. "Who is this Ladybug you speak of? Ugh, never mind. She or he is irrelevant."

Adrien walked towards the trapped man. When he reached him, he hesitantly reached through a convenient gap in the flames, taking the weirdly-shaped brooch. He started to make a dramatic statement—

"Hawk—"

—but as the disguise faded to reveal a familiar duck-butt hairdo and candy cane get-up, he ended up cutting himself off and shrieking, "DADDY?", in a Chloé-like manner.

Meanwhile, Lady Wifi videoed the entire incident, laughing gleefully.  _ What a scoop! _

Ladydoor gasped. "You?  _ You  _ are Hawky-chan?!  _ What— _ " 

She was interrupted by the sound of her earrings chirping. Her hands flew up to cover her ears. "Adrien- I- Sorry, I h-have to go!" she stammered out. She cocked her arm, ready to fling her yo-yo.

Then for some absurd reason, the wheel of cheese suddenly defied the laws of gravity and jumped out of Lila's seat, cheesy hands grabbing at Ladydoor's earrings. The scarlet lady screamed, but it was too late. Her disguise fell, and Ladydoor was revealed to be…

Adrien's mind short-circuited as he was met with the exact pair of bluebell eyes he had been hunting for all day.

_ Marinette?! _

Ladydoor—no, Marinette—walked up to him and placed his hand on his cheek. He could hear wedding bells ringing as she did so. Strangely enough, the usual chiming of bells sounded more like a ringing. It reminded him of his phone’s alarm tone. He ignored it, pressing his palm to his princess'. 

"Only you, Marinette, our Everyday Ladybug, could possibly be Ladydoor," he said rapturously, eyes gazing adoringly at her beautiful face.

* * *

_ Marinette opened her mouth to respond lovingly, but instead of her beautiful voice, it was Plagg his ears heard.  _ "Let me go! Ugh. Wake up, kid!"

_ "My door?" He pressed his palm against hers even harder, his previously loving gaze morphing into confusion. _

_ Adrien watched as she tried to speak once more. Again, it was his kwami he heard.  _ "Ewwww, stop pressing me against your cheek!”

Suddenly, he felt something bite into his hand, tiny teeth nipping at his soft skin. Did his Lady’s hand grow teeth all of a sudden? His question was forgotten as he jolted awake, slipping from the dreamscape of his mind and into the real world. Apparently a bite was enough to rouse him. As he slowly blinked his eyes, gaining consciousness, he swatted his hand frantically, and saw something black get flung off his body.  _ Oh _ .  _ Plagg woke me up,  _ he surmised. 

“Plagg! Wha’ was tha’ fo’?!” he asked as he yawned, wincing when he automatically raised his bitten hand to cover his mouth. He felt too tired to stay mad.  _ How odd… why is the name Ladydoor popping up in my head? And...Hawky-chan??? What a wild dream… why can’t I remember the rest of the dream, though? _

Glancing at the computer he had neglected to turn off before he had slept, he saw the browser still open to the home page of the Ladyblog with the headline  _ “LADYNOIR CONFIRMED?” _ in bold letters. Clicking the next tab would display a paused anime video—Demon Slayer, or Kimetsu no Yaiba, to be precise.  _ Huh. That must’ve been where “Hawky-chan” came from.  _ He cringed at the thought of calling Hawkmoth that.  _ Though I still can’t figure out, for the life of me, why Ladydoor is a thing… _

He shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. He’d annoy Plagg for biting him later, but for now, he had to get dressed, or else he’d be late for school. And what kind of impression would that make on his princess?

He smiled at the thought of Marinette. Last night's decision had greatly eased his mind. Now, he was fully set on giving Ladybug up and pursuing Marinette instead! Getting up energetically, he raced to get ready and ran down the stairs, skidding to a halt at the entrance of the dining hall. 

Nathalie met him at the table, tablet in hand. "Good morning, Adrien," she said monotonously. 

Adrien beamed at her, not forgetting what she had done for him. "Good morning, Nathalie!  _ Thank you!" _ The last two words came out in a hushed whisper.

At that, Nathalie cracked a smile, her usually dull sapphire eyes sparking to life. "You're welcome, Adrien." 

The blonde shovelled in his breakfast as Nathalie nattered on about his schedule. "You have fencing practice after school with Kagami, then a photoshoot at the park. After that, you have…"

Meanwhile, Adrien's mind was on other things. Like how he would run to Marinette and dramatically drop on one knee, propose marriage, marry her, and have a hamster and three kids! They would name the hamster—

"Adrien?" Nathalie said, snapping him out of his daydream. "You've been gazing off into the distance and your plate is empty. It's already time for school."

He blinked.  _ Oops. _ Smiling sheepishly, he slung his bag around his body and waved at Nathalie. "Bye!" 

Skipping down the stairs, he made his way to the Gorilla, who was already at the wheel. He slipped into the backseat, humming merrily as he slid the seatbelt across his chest, the sound of it locking in a satisfying  _ click _ . His leg jittered all the way to school, with an almost hyperactive energy.

Once they had arrived at school, Adrien quickly dashed out of the car, taking the steps two at a time to greet Nino, who was already inside. “Dude!” he said excitedly, ignoring the offered fist and grabbing him by the shoulders. “Nathalie said she’ll arrange for me to have a sleepover next Friday, behind Father’s back!”

Nino immediately brightened. “Bro, that’s awesome! Wait ‘til I tell the girls!”

Adrien grinned widely. They climbed up the stairs and entered the classroom, Adrien moving to sit at Alya’s seat next to Nino as he waited for Marinette to come in. Lila was, thankfully, nowhere in sight. “Whose house should we have it at? For obvious reasons, we can’t have it in mine,” he said. 

Nino propped his head up on his arm in thought. "I don't think we'd fit in the apartment I live in… maybe we can go to Alya's or Marinette's?"

Adrien smiled at the thought of going to Tom and Sabine's Patisserie again. "Yeah, let's ask them later!"

The exact same moment those words left his mouth, Alya and Marinette walked in, chatting away merrily. Adrien felt as if time had come to a standstill as he saw Marinette giggle in slow motion, her soft, pink lips curving up, and her long, black eyelashes brushing her cheekbones as her eyes crinkled up. 

He suddenly felt someone's hand pushing against his chin. "See something you like?" Nino snickered. 

Adrien spluttered. "Shut  _ up, _ Nino!" His cheeks flamed. 

Nino smirked. "Ooh... the model doesn't wanna be embarrassed in front of his crush~" he sing-songed. 

Adrien blushed even more. "Wh-what? How did you know?" he whispered frantically, noticing that Alya and Marinette had paused near the teacher's desk. 

Nino's eyebrows shot up. "Wait,  _ what _ ? You've realized it on your own?" He grinned. "ALYA, YOU OWE ME TWENTY BUCKS!" he hollered. It was a good thing class hadn't started yet, or Ms. Bustier would've scolded him. 

Alya's eyes widened to the size of plates. "You're kidding," she said, unbelieving. Her voice rose to a shout. "You're kidding!" 

Adrien blinked. His friends had bet on his love life? 

Alya stomped over to Nino and slammed down a few bills, making Adrien jump in his borrowed seat. She glared at him. "Damn you, Agreste!" 

Adrien shivered, seeing the annoyance in her eyes. Alya only tore her gaze away when Marinette touched her on the arm. 

"What's wrong, Alya?" she asked with cheerful curiosity.

Alya clenched her fists wordlessly as Marinette studied Nino's cat-that-ate-the-canary expression.

Nino grinned triumphantly. "We had a bet, and Alya lost," he explained, voice dripping with satisfaction. 

Alya, meanwhile, glared at Adrien from where she stood next to Marinette, miming zipping her lips shut. Adrien understood the unspoken threat in her eyes.  _ Do  _ **_not_ ** _ say a word to her about what the bet was, or I will destroy you.  _

He shuddered and nodded meekly. Picking up his messenger bag, he stood up, Alya slipping into the seat in his stead. "C'mon, Mari, let's get to our seats," he said, looking straight at the girl in question. He pretended he couldn't feel his ears turn red at the tips. 

Marinette squeaked in surprise. "S-seats? Oh, y-yeah," she stuttered out, starstruck. How would she  _ ever _ be able to talk to him coherently, when he kept staring at her like that? 

Adrien laughed. "You're so forgetful, Mari!" he teased. His Princess blushed.  _ Aww, how cute! _

Together, they climbed up the steps leading to their shared desk, sitting down. Adrien attempted to start a conversation. "Random question: do you ship Ladynoir? I want to know your opinion," he said, smiling. 

Marinette looked surprised at his question. "Ladynoir?" she mused. "Hasn't Ladybug been rejecting Chat Noir's advances, though?"

"Well, true."

"I don't ship them, because I don't think Ladybug returns his love romantically," she stated. She didn't even notice that she hadn't stuttered ever since they switched to a more comfortable topic. 

Adrien tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I used to ship them, but Chat Noir recently told me he likes someone else," he confided. 

Marinette looked surprised. "He does?" 

A small part of Adrien wondered why Marinette hadn't even questioned why he would know. He dismissed the thought. "Yeah, he told me yesterday. We're really good friends, just like how you and I are!" he lied.

Whatever Marinette had to say would have to wait, however, because at that moment, Lila dashed in dramatically, almost late. "Sorry, guys! Someone asked me to rescue a kitten from a tree as I was on my way!" 

Marinette raised her eyebrows at Lila's latest lie as everyone assured her it was fine.  _ Rescued a cat from a tree? Then why is her outfit pristine? Climbing leaves its marks behind… _

She turned to meet Adrien's emerald eyes, brimming with the same doubt she harbored. Adrien's lips quirked up. "How do they not see through her excuses?" he said in a hushed whisper, slightly irritated. 

Marinette rolled her eyes, slowly getting more comfortable with him without her even realizing it. "I know, right?" she complained softly, frowning. 

Adrien gazed at her with his Soft Eyes™, smiling at her. She was absolutely  _ adorable _ when she pouted. 

The bell rang, interrupting whatever new story Lila was spinning from her seat in the front. Ms. Bustier walked in, heels tapping against the floor. 

"Good morning, class." she greeted, smiling. 

"Good morning, Ms. Bustier," they echoed back. 

"So, today we will be learning about…"

Adrien watched Marinette start scribbling down notes, finding it cute how her tongue poked out of her mouth as she focused. Suddenly, she looked up and arrested his gaze with her innocent, wide-eyed gaze. 

She let out a small  _ meep! _ . Adrien impulsively booped her nose. "Mari, you look so cute!" 

She looked thunderstruck. Her jaw dropped as her cheeks reddened. Opening and closing her mouth repeatedly, she tried to speak, but failed. 

Alya had turned to check on them at that same moment, and almost screamed in annoyance at the amount of unresolved romantic tension hanging between them. Instead, she stared up at the ceiling, letting out a quiet groan of frustration.  _ Why me? _

Nino patted her back in pity. It wasn't their fault they had been given the most oblivious best friends ever.

* * *

After Ms. Bustier had dismissed them, Marinette and Adrien trooped over to Alya and Nino's desk. At this point, Marinette had already resigned herself to her fate, and was just hoping it would be fun.

Alya broke the silence. "So, Sunshine over here has been allowed to have a sleepover on Friday night, which is...two days from now. Adrien's and Nino's houses have both been ruled out, so that leaves mine and Marinette's. We could go to mine," she offered.

Marinette laughed. "No need, Alya. When I asked my parents for permission for the sleepover, they practically  _ ordered _ me to invite you guys to our home," she said, giggling. 

Nino grinned. "Okay, so it's all set! We can go to the bakery after school and have fun there!"

Alya and Adrien nodded in agreement. Adrien spoke up shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is actually my first ever sleepover, so...can you guys show me what it's supposed to be like?" he asked sheepishly. 

All three of them instantly felt pity for him. 

_ I'm killing his dad.  _

_ His dad has good designing skills, but that doesn't excuse his awful treatment of Adrien.  _

_ Wish I had thrown my bubble mixture in his face last time... _

"Agreste, you'll experience the best sleepover you'll ever have in your life!" Alya declared. 

Marinette nodded. "Y-yeah!" she stammered out. 

Nino nodded. "What Alya said."

Adrien smiled brightly. "Thanks, guys. You're the best friends anyone could ever ask for!" On an impulse he hugged all of them. 

Marinette squeaked again as she was squeezed against Alya, Nino, and  _ Adrien.  _

"I love you guys so much!" Adrien said excitedly, mostly aiming the sentiment at Marinette. 

Marinette blushed so hard, she looked like a tomato.  _ Stop it! You know he doesn't mean it that way! _

Alya smirked knowingly at Marinette, as Adrien chattered on excitedly about the sleepover, oblivious to her overly red face. 

"Well!" Alya announced. "Marinette and I are heading home. See you guys tomorrow!"

Marinette, still speechless, waved back wordlessly, smiling through her blush. 

Adrien's eyes crinkled up as he watched Marinette and Alya go. Suddenly, he heard Nino chuckle beside him. 

"Dang, bro. You got it  _ bad. _ " 

Somewhere in the depths of Adrien's bag, Plagg chuckled.  _ He's not wrong.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so that dream was the child of my overactive imagination XD. so don't be surprised if that dream scene didn't make sense :D 
> 
> does anyone else hear watch demon slayer? im trying to finish it, and so far my favorite character is nezuko!
> 
> Ladynoir -> Ladydoor. it's also a nod to a fic by Red (Red_Red Balloons) called ["DOOR!"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23113687). go read it!!! (i tried linking the fic, idk if this will work lol)
> 
> i'll try to post the last chap soon! sorry that this one was shorter than the last!! please leave comments/kudos if you liked it, those are my daily source of validation ^^;

**Author's Note:**

> [ Join the amazing Miraculous Fanfic Discord here! ](https://discord.gg/598A4SS)
> 
> i'm on tumblr at [a-popcorn-kernel](https://a-popcorn-kernel.tumblr.com)!


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